Trombone



O. E. BEERS April 5, 1938.

TROMBONE Filed May 17, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sum cwim 07/55. fizz-ms,

Gum MAM April 5, 1938. I o. E. BEERS I TROMBONE Filed May 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 awe/Mm 077.5 5 555 3 flaw \wwm g Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TROMBONE Application May 17, 1937, Serial No. 143,222

3 Claims.

This invention relates to musical instruments and has special reference to a trombone having a sliding section controlling the length of the air column between the mouth piece and the bell.

In the usual construction of this type of instrument the tube forming the instrument is bent to provide three parallel stretches connected in series by return bends. One of the stretches terminates at one end in the bell of the instrument and is connected to one end of an intermediate stretch. The other end of the intermediate stretch is fitted into one leg of the slide telescopically, and the remaining stretch is fitted telescopically into the other leg of the slide at one end, its other end carrying the mouth piece. For the operation of the instrument, holding means are provided which include a bell brace connecting the bell and fixed part of the intermediate stretch and a second brace adjacent to the first brace and connecting the fixed parts of the intermediate and mouth piece stretches. Adjacent this last brace is a slide brace connecting the two legs of the slide.

Heretofore these last two braces have been arranged at right angles to the parallel mouth piece and intermediate stretches.

In operation, the player places his left thumb around the bell brace and the second, third and sometimes the fourth finger of his left hand around the mouth piece brace. The slide brace is grasped by the right hand and, by moving the right hand away from. and toward the left hand, the air column of the instrument is varied in length to produce the various notes. This construction necessitates the existence of considerable length of mouth piece in order to afiord the necessary room for the left hand in front of the players face, and the longer this space the more difficult it is for the player to maintain the mouth piece in steady position relative to the players lips.

One important object of the invention is, therefore to provide a novel construction of trombone whereby a mouth piece of minimum length may be used so that improved steadiness of position relative to the players lips is attained.

Also it is difficult for some players to extend the slide to its fullest extent, as in reaching what is known as the seventh position, since the players hands must be separated a definite extent to attain this seventh position, and thus, the further the left hand is from the mouth, the further the right hand has to reach from the players body.

A second important object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of trombone wherein the extent to which the right arm must be stretched to attain the seventh position is minimized.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be presently understood, the invention consists of certain novel combinations of parts and arrangements of details hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trombone constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a detail top plan view showing the slide and those parts immediately associated therewith.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view to a greatly enlarged scale of the novel parts of the instrument upon which this invention particularly depends.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing a modified arrangement of certain of the parts of this invention.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the arrangement of the tubing at the point connecting the sections of the intermediate portions of the instrument.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the arrangement of the tubing at the mouth piece end of the instrument.

Figure 7 is a side elevation showing a slight modification of the instrument.

In the construction of this trombone there is I? provided a bell stretch In, an intermediate stretch l l and a mouth piece stretch l2. The bell stretch is provided at one end with the usual tapering and flaring bell l3. The opposite end of the bell i3 is connected to one end of a straight tube sec- I tion M which has its other end connected to one end of a U-tube or return bend l5. The other end of the return bend I5 is connected to one end of a straight tube section l6 forming part of the intermediate stretch l I. site end of the tube i6 is a tube H forming a second part of the intermediate stretch H. The section I4 is of the same length as the section l5 and is positioned opposite to and parallel with said section l6. At the junctions of the tube i l with the bell Ill and the return bend it there are fitted the respective reinforcing bands 18 and i9 and similarly at the junctions of the tube 16 with the tube l1 and return bend l5 there are fitted the respective reinforcing bands 20 and 2i, The

Connected to the oppobands l9 and 2| are provided with aligned and confronting collars 22 and 23 receiving the ends of a tubular brace member 24. Similarly the bands I8 and 20 are provided with aligned and confronting collars 25 and 26 holding the ends of a second tubular brace member 21. The brace members 24 and 21 may be perpendicular to the axes of the stretches l0 and H, or may be, as shown in Figure 7, at 24 and 21 inclined to said stretches and are thus parallel to each other. On the remaining end of the tube section I1 is fixed a tubular socket 28 forming a continuation of the section II. From the socket 28 projects a collar 29, and the bell |3 carries a collar 30 which is aligned with the collar 29 and confronts the latter. The collars 29 and 30 hold the ends of a tubular brace 3| which extends parallel to the braces 24 and 21. This brace will be hereinafter referred to as the bell brace, and it will be noted that it is located about midway the length of the bell l3. Fitted in the socket 28 is a tubular joint section 32.

The stretch l2 includes a socket section 33 extending parallel to the joint section 32 but which is so disposed relative to the section 32 to have its ends disposed forwardly of the ends of the latter whereby the joint section 32 is further from the plane of the periphery of the open end 34 of the bell than the socket section 33. The joint section 32 is provided with a tubular plug portion 35 and with a second or socket portion 36 having a flange 31 thereon. Between the portions 35 and 36 the joint section 32 is provided with a reinforcing sleeve 38. The socket section 33 is also provided with a reinforcing sleeve 39. The stretch |2 includes a mouth-piece 42 extended rearwardly with relation to sleeve 39 and which aligns with the sleeve 38. Extending from the sleeves 38, 39 are aligned brace tubes 40 having their proximal ends fitted in and connected by a sleeve 4|. The sleeve 38 is offset longitudinally forward with respect to the sleeve 39, which positions the sleeve 38 further from the plane of the periphery of the open end 34 of the bell than the sleeve 39. This causes the tubular brace formed by the elements 49 and 4| to lie at an obtuse angle to the plug part of the mouth-piece 42. In other words, this brace is inclined away from the bell brace 3|. The brace formed by the tube parts 40 and 4| is preferably termed the mouth piece brace. The inclination of this brace is highly important and constitutes a major difference and improvement over the brace used heretofore extending at right angles to the intermediateandmouthpiecestretches. Withthisconstruction the player engages the bell and mouth piece braces as before, the left thumb engaging the brace 3| and the remaining fingers of the left hand engaging the mouth piece brace. There is, however, an important distinction in the position of the hand which is more open toward the little finger side than is the case where the mouth piece brace is of the form previously used. This permits the left hand to be brought closer to the players face without contact therewith than with the construction heretofore used. Consequently a greatly improved steadying of the mouth piece during playing of the instrument is effected.

Extending from the section 32 is an inner telescopic tube section 43 and extending from the tube section 33 is a second inner telescopic tube section 44, these inner tube sections. having their axes parallel. The plug part of the mouth piece is extended into the tube section 44. Slidably mounted on the inner telescopic sections 43, 44

are the outer telescopic sections shown at 45 and 46 respectively. The outer ends of the sections 45 and 46 are connected by a tubular return bend 41. Because of the portion of the mouth-piece 42 by construction in accordance with this invention the outer telescopic section is lengthened so that the total length of the air column of the instrument equals that of the construction heretofore used. This causes the return bend 41 to have a general inclination parallel to the mouth piece brace. These sections 45, 46, and 47 form the sliding section of the trombone. The open ends of this sliding section are provided with the respective reinforcing sleeves 48 and 49 from which project opposed and aligned brace sections 50 and 5| which have their proximal ends received in and connected by the sleeve 52 thus forming the slide brace. It will be seen that this slide brace is parallel to the mouth piece brace. By reason of the left hand being brought in playing, close to the face, by the improved construction the right hand. grasping the slide brace is also brought closer to the players head in the first playing position, thus requiring less extension of the right arm in moving the slide to its seventh position and facilitating the playing of the instrument.

It will be noted that the reinforcing sleeve 38 has one end 52 cut square to conform to the socket 28 and its other end 53 cut on a bevel in a plane parallel to the mouth piece brace. The reinforcing sleeve 39 has both ends 54 bevelled at the same angle. The flange 3'! and the flange 55 formed on the parts 33 and 36 are also arranged at this same angle, the flanges 31 and 55 I being in the same plane. Similarly, the sleeves 43 and 49 have bevelled ends at the same angle as the flanges. Also, there are provided bevel ended reinforcing sleeves 56 and 5'! which are located at the junctions of the return bend 41 with the sections 45 and 46. The bevelling of these various sleeves not only adds to the appearance of the instrument but also adds to the bracing effect of the mouth piece and slide braces.

In Figure 4 there is disclosed a modified arrangement of the mouth piece and slide braces. As here shown there is illustrated a plug section 58 corresponding to the section 32 and a mouth piece socket section 59 parallel thereto and carrying the mouth piece 6|]. These sections are parallel and are provided with oppositely disposed reinforcing sleeves 6| and 62 respectively. Connecting the sleevesv 6| and 62 is a mouth piece brace 63 having aligned end portions 64 and 65 respectively and an intermediate section 66 arranged at an obtuse angle to the plug end of the section 58. The end of the portion 65 is connected by an S-bend 61 with the adjacent end of the section 66. The slide sections 68 and 69 are of equal length and are connected by the return bend 10. These slide sections are provided respectively with reinforcing sleeves 1| and 12 connected by a brace 73 similar in form and parallel to the brace 63.

It will be observed that both forms. have the mouth piece and slide braces provided with finger grip portions inclined towards the mouth piece and away from the bell brace.

At the joint 32 the socket portion 36 extends over a portion of the inner telescopic tube section 43 in concentric spaced relation thereto. The inner telescopic tube 43 is fixed within the socket 36, a collar 43*. carried by the tube 43 fitting closely in the tube 36 and forming an abutment stop for the end of the outer telescopic tube section 45. Thus the tube section 45 fits in the annular space between the tube sections 36 and 43 upon the slide being positioned in the first playing position. In order to insure a close fit the extremity of the tube section 45 is provided With a collar 45*.

Similarly, the socket section 33 extends over a portion of the inner tube section 44 to form an annular chamber receiving the extremity of the outer telescopic section 45, the latter being provided with a collar 46 to insure a close fit.

It will be noted from Figures and 6 that the portion of the tube 45 which is housed in the annular recess at the joint is longer than the portion of the tube 46 which is housed in the annular recess at the mouth piece end.

In use, this instrument is played like any slide trombone except that the mouth piece is held in proper position with great steadiness and the seventh playing position of the slide requires less extension of the right arm and the position is thus attained with great facility.

What is claimed is:

1. Bracing means for a slide trombone having a bell, an intermediate section, a mouthpiece section, and a mouthpiece, comprising bracing means connecting the mouthpiece section with the intermediate section, set at an inclination to a plane which passes through the mouthpiece and is perpendicular to the axes of the tubing of the slide, the end of said bracing means attached to the intermediate section being nearer to the above mentioned plane which passes through the mouthpiece than the end which is attached to the mouthpiece section, and bracing means connecting the adjacent ends of the slide, said means being parallel to the first mentioned bracing means.

2. Braces for a slide trombone having a bell, an intermediate section, a mouthpiece section and a slide, one brace connecting the mouthpiece section with the intermediate section, another brace connecting the two ends of the slide, said braces set inclined to a plane which passes through the mouthpiece and perpendicular to the axes of the tubing of the slide, the end of said brace attached to the intermediate section being nearer to said plane passing through the mouthpiece than the end attached to the mouthpiece, and the other brace parallel thereto.

3. Braces for a slide trombone having a bell, an intermediate section, a mouthpiece section and a slide, one brace connecting the mouthpiece section with the intermediate section, another brace connecting the twoends of the slide, said braces set inclined to a plane which passes through the mouthpiece and perpendicular to the axes of the tubing of the slide, the end of said brace attached to the intermediate section being nearer to said plane passing through the mouthpiece than the end attached to the mouthpiece, and the other brace parallel thereto, the bend connecting the outer ends of the slide being inclined approximately parallelly to said braces.

OTIS E. BEERS. 

